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Nautical gifts,
maritime gifts and related products,
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Nautical Gifts: Vernier Sextants were, in skilled hands, instruments of great accuracy, practicality and beauty. Sextants are a joy to own and use, but also essential to the safety of the ship. Our replica is dedicated to Royal Navy Captain John Campbell, who developed the instrument from its predecessor, the Octant, in 1757. Crucially his invention was close in time to that of accurate, portable chronometers, and it was the combination of the two that finally made navigation a science rather than guesswork, saving countless lives. This importance
gave rise to the air of mystique, which surrounds the instrument
and its use, even in today's age of electronic wizardry. Detailing
is impressive, with hardwood handle and protective box, six shades
of varying intensity, and a powerful telescope. Sextants
- what do they do? It is a common misconception that a sextant "tells your position" when, in fact, the only information that can be obtained from it is an angular distance between two objects most often (in position finding) the sun and the horizon. Obtaining this angle is called "taking a sight". Sextant
- Removal from the box: The sextant
is a delicate and finely tuned instrument. When handling, it is
important not to touch the mirrors or index arm, which are easily
knocked out of alignment. We recommend that it be removed from (and
returned to) the box by gripping the body, through the large circular
holes. Once out of the box, the weight of the instrument should
be carried by means of the wooden handle (A) on the reverse or the
support feet (B) if laid down. To take a
sight (assuming observation of the sun): Align the sextant
so that the horizon in the direction of the sun appears through the
telescope. Rotate the index
pinion (D) until the upper or lower limb (explained in accompanying
notes) of the sun appears to line up with the horizon. Read off the angle
from the Vernier. |
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AUTHENTIC LOBSTER POTS, HAND-MADE FROM WILLOW BY UK CRAFTSMAN USING TRADITIONAL TECHNIQUES. IT TAKES A WHOLE DAY TO MAKE JUST ONE! In modern commercial
fishing, the traditional, natural materials have mostly been replaced
by plastic, but in the UK a few traditional craftsmen still preserve
the old skills by continuing to make these aesthetically pleasing lobster
pots for the decorative market. Ancient mariners with wizened expressions
will happily tell you about lobster
pots and
lobster fishing in the old days - each November/December willows
were cut, around 150 lobster
fishing pots and 4 or 5,"Store Pots" were made. After
the completion of pot making fishing for shellfish was resumed, usually
in January/February.CHOICES: |
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Zoom Brass Telescope, Arc Mount with Mahogany Tripod Brass Telescope - here's an unmistakable sense of Victorian naval tradition about this wonderful telescope. It is easy to imagine how, by simply possessing and displaying one in the library bay window, this could mean a lot to the status-minded gent, along with a decent top hat and horse and carriage of course. Here is a quality product, uniquely blending powerfully clear optics with traditional design in polished brass that won't show fingerprints. The brass is coated too so it will never require polishing. It is also a great practical product. This brass telescope is beautifully decorative either at home or in the office. The brass is coated too so it will never require polishing. Here is a great practical product at home or in the office when not in use. A solid brass fieldscope mounted on an African mahogany tripod, the Real-Zoom telescope features a brass arc mount with azimuth and altitude locks and rack and pinion focusing. It has a precision made, fully coated achromatic 50mm objective lens. This telescope pivots up and down and rotates. The extendable tripod legs are made of African mahogany, lacquered 7 times and furnished with brass joints, lock collars, and stabilizing triangle which locks the tripod legs in place, ensuring no movement as you zoom and focus. |
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Officer of the Watch Telescope Telescope
- Pride of the Quarterdeck - "Now I See Ships"In the days
of sail, the quarterdeck from which the ship was commanded was traditionally
used by officers only. Its symbol of authority was the telescope
handed from the officer of one"watch" period of four hours
to the man taking over his duties.Our officer-of-the-watch
telescope is in sateen polished brass with a hand-stitched leather
grip. |
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Hornblower
may be a fictional character but the telescope was one of the most important
inventions of the Seventeenth century. While lenses that could change
the magnification of objects were known in the Western world at the
end of the thirteenth century, it was not until 1608 that the first
telescope
was officially used. Our Hornblower
telescope is a fine optical device offering sharp, clear images,
impressive depth of field and sensitive focusing. The eyepiece section
is partly copper, which stylishly matches the brass. Each wooden hand-made
box is comfortingly solid to hold and beautifully crafted, with a smooth,
veneered exterior, brass hinges and clasp. Open the box and the finish
is more antiquated and deliberately understated with the appearance
of time-faded varnish and regular use. |
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HMS
Victory - The memory of England's greatest sea battle after Drake's
defeat of the Spanish
Armada is kept fresh in all our minds by the continued existence
of HMS Victory, which is preserved in a dry dock at Portsmouth. Launched
in 1765, HMS Victory was already an old ship by the time of Trafalgar,
which makes her survival to this day even more remarkable. |
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Brass
Compass and 100 Year Calendar To use the calendar
just turn the window to the relevant year and read off the scale. |
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Heated Gloves
- MATERIAL: Warmthru battery
heated gloves use THERMOLITE WATERPROOF FABRIC and 3m THINSULATE
in their construction. Special thermal bonded fibres provide a high
level of warmth and weigh very little which is why these battery
heated gloves really do punch above their weight. Battery
heated gloves are extremely soft, flexible and durable. The heated
glove palms have a textured coating for good grip. A Velcro strap on
the inside of the wrist keeps the warmth in and the cold out. The battery
pouch is conveniently located on the outside of the gloves at the upper
wrist. Warmthru heated gloves are designed to keep your hands warm,
not hot. When you feel cold engage the heat by pressing the red button.
Press again to turn the gloves off when your hands are comfortably warm.
Warmthru heated gloves are unique in the market-place due to their push-button
control. Note that with other battery heated gloves, to switch OFF you must break the electrical contact by releasing a press-stud which means the battery will fall out unless you remove it and place it in your pocket - then replace it again when required. No such hassle with a PUSH-BUTTON - just switch off then on! HEATING ELEMENT: Located in the upper hand across the knuckles, the battery heated gloves inner heating element is far removed from the gripping palm and therefore suffers less wear and tear in normal usage than comparable battery heated gloves. This means these gloves are ideal for skiers and any other activity where the user's hands are required for action in freezing and wet conditions. Here's what you get: * Single D-Cell
battery operation lasting 5-6 hours (rechargeables 2-3 hours) |
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If you need to get
more heat through to your hands than the popular and effective 'battery
heated gloves' (above), here's your answer - battery
heated glove liners. They are a bit more pricey but there's heat
installed to all five fingers compared to just the palm. One size fits
all. Deluxe Glove Liners - our newly developed DELUXE model is more expensive still at 152 GBP but it's quite a package and you'll never have to buy D-cell batteries again - an important financial consideration! One size fits all. Simply put the glove liners on then slip on your favourite gloves - this way you can be selective about glove thickness and how much finger movement you require. Cables travel up the sleeves then down the body to meet at the battery pack. DIRECTOR'S PRODUCT TEST: this is a fantastic product because the whole glove liner heats through including the fingers. However, there's a price to pay (with the standard version only now!) - WEIGHT - the battery pack houses 8 D-Cell batteries totalling 1.2 kilos. Pack dimensions: 14x6x7cm (5.5"x2.5"x2.75"). Actually when strapped to my belt and supported by my body it felt much less heavy than in the hand. Still quite bulky though. Which is why we've developed the Deluxe model. HEATED GLOVE LINERS TECHNICAL SPEC. Apologies to those who think it's too expensive but development costs are not cheap and we think it's worth every penny because there are so many benefits - see further below. New Deluxe NimH Battery Heated Glove Liners: * Rechargeable
NiMh battery |
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Here are Italian-made
globes modelled on originals from the 17th Century, when the
shape, content and even existence of lands beyond Europe were matters
for conjecture and debate. They include delightful images of legendary
sea monsters, landmarks and foreign peoples, illustrating just how
little was actually known and why sailors had so many misgivings
about embarking on voyages of discovery. The segments are hand-applied
and varnish-antiqued for an authentic look. Please note: mid 1600s
positioning of countries and even whole continents was not accurate,
so don't use these globes for navigation! Gentlemen often liked to discuss the shape of the world 'and perhaps the next voyage of discovery' over a glass or two of something special. "Bar Globes" were thus a natural progression and became an essential piece of furniture for the well-equipped 17th Century home. Now difficult to find, they are still beautiful centrepieces that will always be a talking point, whether being used to serve drinks or not. Some simple self-assembly required, glasses and bottles not included. The two larger sizes have castors for easy movement. |
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The world-time indicator works by adjusting the dial to show differences in time in the world's major cities, and the long-term calendars read the day of the week of any date in their 50-year span. |
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Schatz is the
leading name in classic ships instruments, a traditional German
firm that, after an absence from the market have re-established
production in Switzerland - the home of quality time instruments.
They still make the mechanical chiming movements that were part
of the daily routine to naval and merchant shipping crews 100 years
ago. Each instrument is made to extremely high standards, rigorously inspected for quality and accuracy - our confidence is such that we offer a two-year warranty. The intricate workmanship is protected in stove-lacquered solid brass cases with thick brass ports secured by scuttle clamps. Part of the 'Royal
Range', top of the range instruments, are at home in the saloons
and staterooms of the world's super-yachts. |
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Schatz
Royal Barometer is the perfect companion to the Royal
Mariner Clock. Calibrated in millibars (metric units of pressure)
and millimetres (mercury units of pressure). The lower half of the dial
has a thermometer that measures in Celsius (centigrade) and Fahrenheit.
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The Schatz
Midi Mariner Clock is a smaller version of the Royal
Mariner - Ship's bell chiming clock with mechanical movement. Specifically
aimed at smaller vessels, where the Schatz
Royal Range would look oversized in relation to other cabin furnishings,
but where top quality is still required. |
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The Schatz
Midi Hygrometer - Reads relative humidity as a percentage (of the
moisture that surrounding air would contain if it were fully saturated)
and temperatures in degrees Celsius (Centigrade). |
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Tides are mainly caused by the moon's gravitational pull on the ocean. The time it takes the moon to travel round the earth (24 hours and 50 minutes) is called a "lunar" day. Most areas in the world have two high tides and two low tides per day; so the tide clock has been specially designed to rotate twice each lunar day (every 12 hours and 25 minutes) giving you a quick and easy indication of high and low water. |
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Dominoes are small tiles traditionally carved from ivory or bone with small, round pips of inset ebony. These tiles may be used to play many different games. Our name for these tiles may derive from this black on white look. 'Domino' is the French word for a Christian priest's winter hood, which was black on the outside and white on the inside. 'Domino' is also a style of mask featuring a black and white motif. The oldest domino sets date from around 1120 AD. Dominoes as most of the Western world knows them however, appear to be a Chinese invention. They were apparently derived from cubic dice, which had been introduced into China from India some time in the dim and distant past. Each domino originally represented one of the twenty-one results of throwing two dice. One half of the tile is set with the pips from one die and the other half contains the pips from the second die. |
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The Star
Recogniser succeeds the hugely successful 'Stellarscope', with great
new features. It performs all the same functions with even greater simplicity
and with the added advantage of a compass and illumination included.
An integrated compass
provides alignment for two setting scales, one for the hour of day or
night, the other for the month and approximate date. Pressing a button
illuminates the star map to one eye while the other eye looks at the
real thing in the heavens - same size, same shape and instantly recognisable.
It will locate and 70 major constellations and 1,500 stars up to magnitude
5. Includes
interchangeable star maps for Northern and Southern hemispheres,
plus four templates for adjusting latitude clipped underneath the compass.
(Star Pocket is supplied ready for use in Europe, with a Northern star
map preset for 40 - 50 degree latitude) Star Recogniser - 145mm (6") long. Stores neatly in water-resistant drawstring bag. Two miniature batteries and full instructions in English included (other languages available) |
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Star
Globe shows all the major stars and constellations visible from
earth as if they were placed on a sphere of constant radius, which rotates
about a central earth. This assumption is, of course, incorrect but
gives an effective model of what we actually see. In use, date, hour
and latitude are set, showing the half of that sphere which is theoretically
visible at a given time and place.
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Links
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heated
gloves and heated motorcycle clothing from WARMTHRU at warmthru.com
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